Maybe I better get me at least an umbrella now, just in case, if tomatoes and alike come flying my way 😉
@Jenna_B I’ve seen the topic you started, about bringing some of the probably interesting character aspects discussed into character discussion besides shipping. Not quite what I thought about though.
In my perception this forum is a shipping forum, and I am basing that not on what is going on in the shipper threads but already on what people bring up in episode discussions, spoilers, speculations. It is still one of the more civilized places where mainly shippers hang around, but like probably most of the fandom a lot of shipping is present.
I like the people here in this forum, so I still hang around as well, and there are a couple of interesting discussions even for me once in a while going on. But by now I discuss the show, characters, spoilers, speculations and other things mostly in another place. It is not just the shipping, it plays a part though, besides that I am never only a fan, but as well a social scientist with some interest in cultural studies and media. As fan I sure have my favorite characters – which have pretty much been reduced by now though to Red/Ruby, a character barely on the show anymore, and to a degree Emma, but as a single woman, none of the ships around for her I see as endgame and I don’t think her happiness is in finding her prince( my love for the show as a whole is gone). As more observer reviewer I see not even any favorite character as safe from anything though, not from death, not from unhappy ending. Yes, I am a person who can love a character and nevertheless kill her or him (I suffered with Willow about the loss of Tara, and at the same time found it was good story telling and something that pretty much had to happen)
I think there is more than a shipping rift in the fandom There are some really annoyed by now about, as they perceive it, the abundance of Regina stories and sudden, effortless redemption, there has been longer than probably any shipping war a constant squabble about who is the better mother, Regina or Emma, there are people now disliking, or as they say it, hating Emma as a character, either because she doesn’t give Hook the boot or treated him like a piece of wood, not to mention her high walls, her inconsideration of Henry and disregard of her loving parents, take your pick. And, I risk to mention it, views and opinions on Neal, his character as much as he is story was handled, are all over the place. We have discussions about all kind of isms and in very passionate ways. As a scientist I find it interesting how a trivial fantasy show about family and love mirrors some at the moment quite fundamental discussions concerning gender, gender roles, family, love, human relationships and morality. As a fan though I find it occasionally straining, because at the moment the best thing seems to be not to move at all, with any move one might put one’s foot into it. I like a good argument, not shy of conflict, but prefer it in a productive manner.
Character discussion can’t exclude discussing relationships the character has with other people, and that includes romantic relationship. Yes, we could try to avoid the hottest bricks, but in some cases there is not much left to discuss then. As I hinted, if talking about Emma I would question why there should have to be any happy big romance as endgame at all, why there has to be romance now, why women are so often in media and entertainment shown as predominantly defined by their relationships, while men are defined by their action, and if OUaT is (still) any different in that. I have some rather harsh views and opinions on any guy Emma had a relationship with so far, and about these relationship, and shippers might not like that. As I have some harsh views on the relationship of Emma’s parents to her though as well. Not much different my views about Regina and her character, relations and development.
But we can try it. Let’s see what happens.
Maybe some more non-shippers have the courage to out themselves? There will be a nice picnic in a week with devilish lasagne, outlandish New York style pizza, spicy apple cider, and later some steaming apple turnover and hot chocolate with cinnamon for dessert. Trying to hire for dinner music the colorful Fairy Choir featuring the singing half-brother of Robin Hood, known as Galavant, and the wolfpack promised a special serenade with surprise guest after moonrise.
¯\_(?????? ?)_/¯